Streetart and Graffiti really modifies the perception of city design. There are meanwhile places with tags that overflow sites. They act as an attractor for the eye with a visual complexity, that can never been reached with any ornament. There are rich and vital cultural cities where streetart evolves everywhere, covering almost every wall in the city-region. Streetart-cities in germany are for example Berlin and Cologne. This cities are hot spots of the international streetart scene. It is a value to visit this living sculpture named city for people interested in streetart. You don’t expect that very satisfying feeling standing in front of a wall from an artists you only knew from media. Seeing this piece of living art in really feels like experiencing art.
Seen at the streets of Bonn
But most of the cities are no hotspots of streetart. What do we do with them? I don’t see any sense of tagging every wall in every city. Streetart is a fast, fluctural and emerging cultural movement. But most cities don’t have that beat. And I would hate to see third class tags on all walls. I really did see good streetart in Trier and Bonn. Not that big or special german cities (alright, Bonn is some special). Streetartists in that “Standart Cities” concentrate on only some special sites where they make their art. This places are somewhere in town, mostly near the central train station. This sites are exhibition sites worth visiting regularly.
Streetart as an integral part of city design
For a conception of streetart as a intergral part of city design I would suggest:
Distinguish between
A) international streetart centers and
B) standart city.
In A) streetart can happen everywhere in the city. Exeptions are buildings that are metropol architecture, art architecture and sites with special historical values. Also public art should be left blank. I don’t want graffiti on a wall from Miró.
In B) streetart should only flourish at special sites. I think real streetartist have a good intuition for finding this places. The intent should not be “covering the city”, but “let’s exchange our ideas in art”. I experienced that most of such places are: beton-walls, public underground stations especially doors, abandoned buildings, the back of traffic signs, other vernacular architecture with the ability to act as a good presentation place.
Seen at the streets of Bonn
Some artists work conceptional and choose special places as a trademark.
